Chapter 12 - The Formal Notice
Julian did not pick up the envelope. He didn't even look down at it. His dark eyes remained fixed on the attorney, cold and unyielding as granite.
"Clara never signed a conditional custody clause," Julian stated, each syllable deliberate. "Her will was probated six years ago in Harrison County. The Vances had sixty days to contest it. They signed a waiver of interest and walked away because they didn't want a sick infant interrupting their social calendar."
"That was before new evidence of financial mismanagement came to light," Vance replied without flinching. "Mr. Albright provided copies of an unrecorded codicil drafted in Massachusetts eight months before Clara died. Along with an affidavit claiming that you coerced Clara into transferring her liquid assets while under medical distress."
"That's a lie," Nora interrupted, her voice ringing clear and steady despite the ice spreading through her veins. "Gavin Albright is a disgraced fraud who was caught red-handed embezzling from Julian's firm and attempting to steal my family's heritage land. He has zero credibility in any courtroom in this country!"
Vance turned his head slightly, acknowledging Nora for the first time. "Mrs. Sterling, is it? Or do you still go by Nora Albright? You were married to him for five years, weren't you? A man who, according to public records, left you with nothing. You might have an emotional axe to grind with your ex-husband, but a probate judge in Suffolk County cares only for notarized signatures. And the signature on Clara Vance’s codicil has been verified by two independent forensic examiners."
The porch fell deathly silent.
Behind them, through the glass, Nora could see Maisie standing on a small wooden stool by the sink, humming to herself as she carefully washed yellow watercolor paint from her hands. The innocence of the scene made Nora’s stomach twist in agony. Maisie was Julian’s world. She was the bright, beating heart of everything they had built together.
"Get off my land," Julian said.
He didn't shout. He didn't raise his hands. But there was an edge in his voice so lethal that Vance took an involuntary step back toward the ramp.
"The preliminary injunction hearing is set for Monday morning in Gulfport," Vance said, adjusting his suit jacket to recover his composure. "You have seventy-two hours to respond, Julian. The judge will order an emergency home assessment. If the court finds that you've depleted Clara's trust to build this swamp sanctuary, Maisie will be placed under the temporary custody of her maternal grandparents pending trial."
Vance turned on his heel and walked down the ramp. A moment later, the town car’s engine purred to life, its taillights bleeding red into the humid darkness as it accelerated down the shell drive and vanished down the bayou road.
Nora looked at Julian. His hands were clenched at his sides so hard that his knuckles were white.
"Julian," she whispered, stepping into his space and placing her hands against his chest. "Look at me."
He looked down, his jaw tight, a fierce, primal terror flickering beneath his usually impenetrable exterior. "Clara loved Maisie more than her own life, Nora. She would never have signed anything giving her parents the right to take her. Never."
"I know that," Nora said fiercely. "And I know Gavin. Gavin didn't just stumble on this. When I rejected him at the gala, when you exposed him in front of the board... he swore he’d make us pay. He knows he can’t hurt you commercially anymore, so he went after the only thing you love more than your dignity."
Julian took a slow, deep breath, pulling Nora tight against his chest. "Gavin doesn't have the legal connections to reach the Vance estate in Boston on his own. He was an operations manager in Biloxi. Someone opened that door for him."
Before Nora could answer, Julian's phone buzzed sharply in his pocket. He pulled it out.
May you like
The screen displayed a blocked number. Julian hit speaker.
"Julian," a familiar, slick voice came through the speaker, dripping with greasy satisfaction. "Did Arthur’s lawyer find you? I told you, Julian... in Biloxi, you took everything I built. But you forgot one thing. Some men don't mind burning down the whole house as long as you're inside when it falls."
